| Client: DMP Healthcare |
| Sector: Residential |
| Location: Linmere, Houghton Regis |
| Disciplines: Transport, Flood Risk and Drainage, Geo-Environmental |
Overview
MEC was appointed by DMP Healthcare to provide multidisciplinary technical support for the proposed development of an 80-bed care home and 25 assisted living apartments at Linmere, Houghton Regis.
The 1.02-acre land is located to the north-east of Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire and is currently used as a construction site compound. Reserved matters approval has since been secured for the development.
Overview of MEC Services
Transport
Our Transport team undertook swept path analysis to ensure the proposed internal layout could safely accommodate the vehicles expected to regularly access the development. The assessment demonstrated that refuse vehicles and minibuses can enter and exit the site safely, with sufficient space to manoeuvre and turn within the site boundaries.
Flood Risk and Drainage
Our Flood team prepared a Drainage Technical Note and Drainage Strategy to demonstrate how the development could be delivered with a drainage discharge rate agreed for all parcels for the wider sustainable urban extension, whilst ensuring that details were upgraded to the latest specification and design standards.
The site lies entirely within Flood Zone 1 and is predominantly at low risk from other sources of flooding. Some isolated areas of surface water risk were identified in the centre of the site, which were carefully considered when developing the proposed layout and drainage strategy.
Surface water will be managed through an on-site geo-cellular attenuation tank before discharging at greenfield runoff rates. The strategy also allows for urban creep and future climate change, while recommending sustainable drainage features such as permeable paving and off-site swale as part of the detailed design process.
Geo-Environmental
Our Geo-Environmental team undertook a Phase I and II Ground Investigation to identify potential risks associated with the site’s historic and existing use and underlying ground conditions.
The phase I desk study identified several potential sources of contamination and found that the overall environmental risks to the site are low, locally low to moderate. The preliminary UXO risk assessment confirmed that the site was in an area at a low risk of encountering unexploded ordnance.
An intrusive investigation was undertaken based on these findings and recommendations were made in relation to soil contamination, ground gases, foundation and floor slab designs and soakaways.
Outcome
Although the site is largely undeveloped, bringing forward a residential scheme required a coordinated approach across multiple technical disciplines. Drainage, transport, and environmental considerations all needed to be understood from an early design stage to inform a practical and deliverable layout.
By bringing this expertise together, MEC provided a comprehensive technical evidence base that supported the application and helped to secure the reserved matters approval. We look forward to seeing the development progress through the next stages.
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